Raji Khodr

Longing for Saddam in Tikrit

When you see Iraqi policemen salute the grave of Saddam Hussein, you start to realize how much more needs to be achieved before Iraq is on the road to true peace and stability. There are Iraqis who long for the past, especially in Tikrit, the hometown of the late Iraqi leader.

A few moments later, a family arrived at the gravesite which has become a shrine for many. A woman kissed Saddam's grave and cried out: "Abu Oday, where are you? I wish you were here. Since you have been gone, we have been humiliated."

No doubt there are many in Iraq who are glad that Saddam is no longer in power. But there are those who have lost faith in that future and call out for the past.

The upcoming election is supposed to shape Iraq's future, but there are those who lost faith.